Glen Cummins Named Canton City Manager

The Canton City Council has chosen its Ward III councilman to be its city manager.

Glen Cummins was chosen for the position during the council's work session and called meeting on Thursday. The council voted 3-2-1, with council members Bill Grant and Sandy McGrew opposing and Cummins abstaining, to appoint Cummins to the position. 

The appointment is effective immediately, so Cummins has resigned his Ward III council seat. The council during its July 17 meeting will consider calling a special election to be held in conjunction with the Nov. 4 general election. 

Cummins' base salary will be $120,000 per year, which will be doled out in bi-weekly installments. He will receive a $600 monthly car allowance, 160 hours of paid vacation and 80 hours of six leave each year, dental insurance and a budget for "general business expenses" as well as membership fees or dues for local civic clubs or organizations.

He will not receive retirement benefits, and no mention of health insurance was referenced in the contract. 

Before the vote was taken, Councilman Grant explained why he could not support Cummins as city manager.

Grant said he'd been contacted by a number of constituents who expressed their opposition to Cummins as the choice and would have preferred if the city had brought in a manager who had no ties to Canton. 

"While I have no questions about Mr. Cummins' professional experience and education, I'm generally concerned about the level of...city manager experience," he added. 

He also took issue with the city moving forward with naming Cummins' to the position, as an active ethics complaint has been filed by a resident who accused Cummins of financially benefitting from not resigning from the council while serving in the interim.

However, John Rust had positive words for Cummins, adding he's done a "great job" with his tenure during the last several months.

The new city manager added he will continue the work he started when he launched his campaign for the Ward III seat in 2011. 

"When I started this process three years ago to run for the city council, I came with one intention," he said. "That intention was to make improvements to this city. As I move from one chair to another chair, the intention is exactly the same, (which) is to make this the city in which our citizens can be proud of and are happy to reside and work in."

Cummins was named the city's finalist for the position in June. He was the second finalist announced in the last three months for the position. In March, Mayor Gene Hobgood announced former Main Street Woodstock Director Billy Peppers was the city's sole finalist for the role. 

However, Peppers' nomination did not have the backing of the majority of the council, and he withdrew his name from consideration. After Peppers withdrew is name as finalist, Cummins then submitted his name to be considered for the post.

Cummins was compensated no more than $10,000 per month while serving as the interim, the post he was named to after the resignation of Scott Wood.